Shivraj Patil
| Shivraj Vishwanath Patil शिवराज विश्वनाथ पाटील | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office Jan 22, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Sunith Francis Rodrigues |
| Minister for Home Affairs | |
| In office 22 May 2004 – 30 November 2008[1] | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Lal Krishna Advani |
| Succeeded by | P. Chidambaram |
| Speaker of Lok Sabha | |
| In office 10 July 1991 – 22 May 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Rabi Ray |
| Succeeded by | P.A. Sangma |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 15 January 1980 – 2 December 1989 | |
| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Succeeded by | Shankarrao Chavan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 12, 1935 Latur, Hyderabad State (now Maharashtra, India) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Occupation | Politician |
Shivraj Vishwanath Patil (born October 12, 1935) is an Indian politician, currently Governor of the state of Punjab and Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh.[2] Previously, he had been the Speaker of the 11th Lok Sabha and served the Manmohan Singh cabinet as the Union Minister of Home Affairs. He also served the Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi cabinets as the defence minister during the 1980s. He resigned from the post of Home-Minister on November 30, 2008, following widespread criticism raised after terrorist attacks on Mumbai. He resigned taking the moral responsibility for the attacks.[3]
Early life
Patil was born in 1935 in the village of Chakur in the Latur district (Marathwada region) of the then princely state of Hyderabad, now Maharashtra, India. He attended Osmania University, Hyderabad, earning a degree in Science and studied Law at Bombay University. During 1967–69, he was involved in local government (Latur Municipality).
Patil belongs to the Lingayat community.[4] He married Vijaya Patil in June 1963.[5]
In state politics
From 1973 to 1980, he was legislator of Latur Rular constituency of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for two terms of 1973 to 1978 and 1978 to 1980 during which time he held various positions such as Chairman of Public Undertakings Committee, Deputy Minister (Law & Judiciary, Irrigation, Protocol), Deputy Speaker of the Assembly and Speaker of the Assembly.
In central politics
In 1980, he was elected to the 7th Lok Sabha from Latur constituency. By 1999, he had won seven successive Lok Sabha elections in 1980, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998 and 1999. In 2004 Lok Sabha election, he lost to Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Rupatai Patil Nilangekar.
In government
First inducted in the Indira Gandhi-led government in as Minister of State for Defence (1980–82), he was given independent charge of the Commerce Ministry (1982–83), from where he was shifted to Science and Technology, Atomic Energy, Electronics, Space and Ocean Development (1983–84).
During 1983–86, he was Vice President of CSIR India. He also served on various committees including those on Defence, External Affairs, Finance, Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament.
In the Rajiv Gandhi government, he was Minister for Personnel, Defence production and later held independent charge of Civil Aviation and Tourism.
He has also held a number of important positions in the party ever since Sonia Gandhi took over the presidency of the party. He is largely known for introducing the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award, India in 1992. He was the chairman of the manifesto committee of the party during the 1999 Lok Sabha election.
As speaker of the Lok Sabha, he had begun or contributed in initiatives on information dissemination to members of the Parliament (through computerisation and modernisation), construction of Parliament Library Building and broadcast of Loksabha proceedings, including live broadcast of Question Hour of both houses of the parliament.
Between 1991–1995, he was a member/leader of Indian parliamentary delegations to various international parliamentary conferences.
He became Home Minister in 2004. A former Lok Sabha speaker, Shivraj Patil lost in the 2004 polls from Latur constituency in Maharashtra, but has still landed up the second most important position in the Union Cabinet—that of the Home Minister. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in July 2004. Widely seen as an ineffective minister, his tenure as home minister was marred by one debacle after another and he faced increasing calls for his resignation, which he was eventually forced to due to the mishandling in the events leading up to and after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
United States Ambassador David Mulford in an embassy cable had described his removal after Mumbai terrorists attack as inevitable and called him "inept" and "asleep on the watch".[6][7][8][9][10]
Patil is accused for not sending the Central Reserve Police Force to Nandigram, even after repeated requests by the West Bengal government, to restore law and order in the area and the events resulted in police firing and killing of men and women in Nandigram.
Patil's name was considered a likely candidate in 2007 presidential election. However, after the Left opposed his candidacy, Sonia Gandhi proposed Pratibha Patil, Governor of Rajasthan, as the presidential candidate. Shivraj Patil was later considered a possible candidate for the post of Vice President of India. His extensive parliamentary experience and his reputation for fairness were said to be the main advantages on his side.
On 30 November 2008, just two months after Delhi blasts, Patil resigned from his position of Home Minister in Union Cabinet taking moral responsibility of the security lapse that led to the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
References
- ↑ Home Minister Shivraj Patil steps down. Ibnlive.in.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-29.
- ↑ Express News Service (Jan 23, 2010). "Shivraj Patil takes oath as UT Administrator". Indian Express. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ↑ Shivraj Patil resigns. Sify.com (2008-11-30). Retrieved on 2011-12-29.
- ↑ Who is Shivraj Patil?. NDTV.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-29.
- ↑ Shri Shivraj Vishwanath Patil. interstatecouncil.nic.in
- ↑ "'Inept' Shivraj Patil was protected by Sonia: US cables". Indian Express. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ↑ "WikiLeaks: US felt removal of Shivraj Patil was inevitable after 26/11". The Times of India. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ↑ "See 9c of US embassy cables: Indian government heads roll after Mumbai terror attacks". London: The Guardian. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ↑ "US felt removal of Shivraj Patil after 26/11 was inevitable: WikiLeaks". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ↑ "Shivraj Patil spectacularly inept: David Mulford". The Economic Times. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
| Preceded by Pranab Mukherjee |
Minister of Defence 15 January 1980 –2 December 1989 |
Succeeded by Shankarao Chavan |
| Preceded by Rabi Ray |
Speaker of Lok Sabha 1991–1996 |
Succeeded by P.A.Sangma |
| Preceded by L.K. Advani |
Home Minister of India 2004–2008 |
Succeeded by P. Chidambaram |
| Preceded by Prabha Rau |
Governor of Rajasthan (acting) April 2010 – May 2012 |
Succeeded by Margaret Alva |
| Preceded by Sunith Francis Rodrigues |
Governor of Punjab & Administrator of Chandigarh January 2010 – Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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